Baghdad warms to Sunni awakening
By Ahmed Ali and Dahr Jamail
BAQUBA - A massive military operation in Diyala province has underscored the
military and political gains by the Sahwa militia, despite Prime Minister Nuri
al-Maliki's earlier attempts to thwart them. Maliki has now apparently come
around to involving the Sahwa rather than opposing them.
The Sahwa are the "Awakening Forces" created and paid by the US military to
co-opt militants and to fight al-Qaeda, but which have become a force of their
own parallel to the military and the police.
They are a mostly Sunni militia of about 90,000 comprising
mostly former anti-occupation resistance fighters and even al-Qaeda members.
Each member is paid US$300 monthly.
The Sahwa have long been at odds with the regular Iraqi forces, but they came
out in strength this time following a promise of 3,000 jobs for their members
in the national police.
The move came after Maliki, who leads a Shi'ite-dominated government, dropped
his long opposition to absorption of Sahwa members in government forces.
"Tomorrow you will take your role with us in our operation to attack al-Qaeda
militants," General Ali Gaidan, commander of the ground forces, said at a
meeting of Sahwa leaders with Maliki at a camp near Kanan district, 12
kilometers northeast of Baquba on August 2.
Maliki came around reportedly after Sahwa leaders told Gaidan they have a list
of militants, with evidence on them, that government forces know nothing about.
Named "Good Tiding", the military operation was launched July 29 in the
volatile Diyala province northeast of Baghdad and on the border with Iran to
hunt down al-Qaeda fighters and supporters. Both Iraqi military and Sahwa
forces were drawn into the operation. The capital city of the province, Baquba,
50 kilometers northeast of Baghdad, was placed under curfew for two days to let
security forces search the area. A night curfew was maintained as the operation
continues.
Ministry of Interior spokesman Abdul-Kareem Khalaf says operation plans were
leaked to allow militants to escape. "We intentionally allowed them [the
militants] to flee in order to create a gap between their leaders and followers
from the chaos," Khalaf told reporters.
Khalaf referred to a practice of intentionally giving militants time to flee in
the hope that lower-ranking fighters would depart, creating a schism between
regular fighters and their leadership.
"When they get back again, they will find no ground for them to work, as we
will have changed the area with this operation," a major-general from the
criminal investigation unit in Baquba said on condition of anonymity.
The police, the army, the criminal investigation unit from the interior
ministry, a group of judges, the traffic police, and interior ministry
commandos were all roped into the operation. In what was clearly at least
partly a publicity maneuver, staff from the water, electricity, and health
departments were also recruited. Ministers and local politicians made
appearances, giving the operation an almost ceremonial feel.
Through the operation, which continues with low levels of home searches, the
forces have besieged the province. Checkpoints have been set up in the streets.
Vehicle movement is restricted.
"When a person is arrested, he has to be produced before a committee of judges
at al-Jawal, an Iraqi army camp near Baquba," said an army general, on
condition of anonymity. The general added that the trails were for "terrorist
suspects".
The Sahwa have been given a strong role in the operation. They were deployed in
large numbers, contrary to expectations.
The coming together of these disparate forces was unexpectedly welcomed. "We
expected to see cruelty by the forces," said Amir Ali, a local trader. "We
found them very polite and well-mannered. They politely asked us to get in the
house. We are greatly surprised and very impressed."
According to witnesses, people offered the forces meals and water, and some
even invited them to shower in their house.
According to Iraqi officials, about 100 policemen and 165 civilians have been
arrested so far since the launch of the operation. The operation is
particularly targeting suspected al-Qaeda members working within the police
force.
The Sahwa, at least in Diyala province, now enjoy a presence within the
government security apparatus, a goal they have long sought.
Ahmed Ali, IPS's correspondent in Iraq's Diyala province, works in close
collaboration with Dahr Jamail, IPS's US-based specialist writer on Iraq
who has reported extensively from Iraq and the Middle East.
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